Military Letters, WWII

As found in old newsletters.
Transcribed by barbara stallman-speck

    Lloyd Peyton, eighteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Peyton of Brookings, but formerly of Kennebec, who recently started his military training, writes his grandma, Mrs. Ada Peyton, an interesting letter and tells her all about getting started in his new adventure. Among the highlights in his letter, he says:
    I thought I'd write and tell you I haven't been shipped overseas and I don't think I will be. I'm a buck-private in the armored division. I was at Fort Snelling, Minn. 12 days and was then shipped here to Fort Knox, Ky. The division includes trucks, tanks, jeeps, peeps, armored cars, motorcycles, in fact everything mechanized. We learn to drive them all. I'm eligible for Army Specialized Training and take our basic training which lasts until September 18, then we go to college for 39 weeks at Ohio University.
    To get into ASTP, you have to pass an army general test with a score of 115 - I got 138. Down here we took a clerical aptitude test and a typing test. I do not know what my score was in the aptitude test, but the interviewing officer said i had one of the highest scores of the 500 men taking it. I then typed 57 words per minute; more than I ever typed before.
    I have a good chance to go to Officers Training School so when I got through I would be a commissioned officer. I'm pretty young to get it, but the officers said my qualifications were good. Ft. Knox is really big. It will camp 125,000 men and is over 40 miles in any direction. They have a mock battle every day and it's all very exciting.
    You sure meet up with all kinds of people. I met a swell kid at Ft. Snelling. He was from North Dakota University. We were lucky to get shipped together. We bunk side by side, eat together, fall in line together. In fact, he's writing a letter just across the table from me now. I got a package from Mom today. It's sure nice to get mail from someone you know.
    It is really hot here in Kentucky. The red clay sticks to your feet then they nearly starve you to death. The meals were a little better today though. I've been in the army life since May 12 but it does not seem that long.
    Don't forget to write and tell me all the news. Just got a smallpox vaccination so my arm is getting pretty sore so I will say goodnight to you all.